Sunday, June 30, 2013

Crew Rd 17. Incomplete Team, Loss

After going up +1 in the first half, Sporting Kansas City were able to respond each time the Crew pulled even in the second. The game ended +1 in favor of the home side.

1ST HALF
Sporting controlled most of the half through the midfield. Part of the reason for this was because the Crew went with a striker on the left side in Jairo Arrieta. KC had a number of opportunities that they were wasteful with.

The Crew never seemed to be able to get into this one in the first half.

2ND HALF
The coaching staff of the Crew decided to make an adjustment by moving Arrieta from his left mid spot to the top and shift Oduro back into the midfield (on the left). This didn't necessarly improve the team in the midfield but it did put a very good striker back into his natural (trained whole life for) role.

The change seemed to catch Sporting a little off guard and ripped open the game. It only took three minutes for Arrieta to reward the change when he took the ball 60+ yds down the pitch for a goal.

Two minutes later Chance Myers whipped in a cross from the right side that skimmed off Tyson Wahl's head right to Claudio Bieler who slotted away a nice shot past confused Crew GK Andy Gruenebuam.

Three minutes after that another goal. This time from a bad Seth Sinovic back pass to Jimmy Nielsen. Oduro did what hes does and was there for the steal and goal. Sinovic would be subbed shortly after.

The game settle a little from there and looked more like the first half. KC found their rhythm again and easily out possessed a Crew team that couldn't put more than a couple passes together.

Late on in the 80th, Wahl again managed to deflect a header in to the path of an alert Bieler who headed to Kei Kamara for a goal.

Crew went into berserker mode after that. Unsurprisingly, it didn't work.

-----------FINAL THOUGHTS
You don't have to lead common statistical categories like Shots, Time of Possession, Corner Kicks and the like to win. In fact, these types of things can often be more misleading than anything but for this game? 62% possession and 24 shots from KC forcing 5 big saves from Andy Gruenebaum? Very telling for this particular game.

Save for the chaotic first 15 minutes of the 2nd half this game was in KC hands. They were the better team fighting off scrappy poorly organized team.

Looking the updated true table I see the Crew have now slipped to 15th with zero goal difference. Columbus is in a deep hole and need more than just hard work to get out of it. There needs to be a tactical change with this team. This two holding midfielder thing is not working.

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ME COMPLAINING:
1. Change tactics if runs thru Tyson Wahl.
2. Bernardo is left footed, put him on the left.
3. Danny O'Rourke can handle the CDM spot on his own.
4. Chad Barson should not be an option.
5. Arrieta and Oduro should never be in MF
6. Arrieta and Oduro shouldn't play left MF

This still leaves the team a little weak at left CB and right in the middle but this improves the left and right fullback positions and helps Higuain shake some markers.

I do not dislike Tchani as much as some others might. If you look up and down the roster he is pretty much the one midfielder outside of Anor, Speas and Higuain that gives you any chance going box to box. Sanchez does not, O'Rourke doesn't either.

But this is what I mean by "incomplete team". Where are the midfielders? Why was Viana played in a holding mid spot for so long at the start of the year and not at left back? Why was Arrieta benched when he came back. Why is Oduro playing a midfield roll?